SuccessFactors Hires Gartner Analyst Thomas Otter to Lead Development of Next Generation HCM Software. (PRNewsFoto/SuccessFactors, Inc.)

SuccessFactors Logo. (PRNewsFoto/SuccessFactors, Inc.)

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- SuccessFactors, an SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) company and the global leader in business execution (BizX) software, today announced the hiring of Thomas Otter as vice president of Product Management. A Gartner analyst and recognized HR expert with 21 years of experience in the IT industry, Otter will help SuccessFactors evolve a new generation of Human Capital Management (HCM) software and best practices.

Otter will help SuccessFactors bring innovation to more than 24 million cloud application subscribers by driving the product direction of Employee Central, SuccessFactors' cloud-based core HR system designed for global enterprises. The scalable cloud-based solution provides a foundation for global HR processes, local compliance, and enables smart decision making with powerful analytics and social collaboration. Otter's decision was partly motivated by his desire to build solutions that solve real problems, for real customers.

"I've been watching and analyzing the players in the industry for years and SuccessFactors, now an SAP company, has done a tremendous job innovating its products," said Thomas Otter. "I wanted to join a group of people excited about delivering core HR and ultimately redefining how HR systems deliver value to organizations. SuccessFactors is a dynamic company with a great team of people who have offered me an intriguing opportunity to contribute to building something I believe in. It's exactly the itch that I want to scratch."

An expert in the IT industry, Otter has spent the past five years at Gartner, most recently as research vice president covering HCM trends and technologies. Otter was Gartner's lead analyst on SAP from 2009 to 2011.

"This maybe the most exciting time in enterprise software in the last 20 years – companies are craving solutions that are in the cloud, are mobile, social and engaging. At SuccessFactors, we have passion for building beautiful, innovative HR solutions that allow companies to run their businesses better. Core HR is key to this vision and the area where we have aggressively invested extraordinary resources and the best minds," said Dmitri Krakovsky, senior vice president of Products, SuccessFactors. "Over the last three years we have been meticulously assembling the best team to help us imagine and execute—and Thomas is a huge piece of this blueprint. He is knowledgeable, well regarded in the industry, and intimately understands our customers' business issues. We're excited to leverage that knowledge to help us evolve our products."

About SuccessFactors, an SAP CompanySuccessFactors is the leading provider of cloud-based Business Execution Software, and delivers business alignment, team execution, people performance, and learning management solutions to organizations of all sizes across more than 60 industries. With approximately 24 million cloud application subscribers seats globally, we strive to delight our customers by delivering innovative solutions, content and analytics, process expertise and best practices insights from serving our broad and diverse customer base. Today, we have more than 3,600 customers in more than 168 countries using our application suite in 35 languages.